The Conspiracy of Love
by that inbetween shade of grey
Summary: Christmas at the Potters', 2025. In fact, it's the first Christmas when all three 'kids' have brought home a partner...uh oh. Rating for language. Threeshot.
1. Eve

_**Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns my soul. And these characters. Merry Christmas!**  
_

* * *

_"Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love." _

_-Hamilton Wright Mabie_

.o0O0o.

The fire was on, the kettle was boiled, and they'd finally finished putting the tinsel on the tree. She'd hoovered and he'd ironed and they'd split the bathrooms between them. They'd had an… amusing two hours in which he tried replacing every bulb in last year's Christmas lights, before she got impatient and 'lumos'd the whole string. In theory, everything was ready.

Harry James Potter handed a cup of tea to his wife, and she smiled gratefully as he flopped onto their burgundy sofa beside him. They both sipped, and sighed. Ginny snuggled into Harry's shoulder, and he toyed with her hair absentmindedly.

"This won't last." She murmured.

"I know."

.o0O0o.

"Mum? Dad?" The voice of their younger son floated through to the lounge where the couple were sat. Ginny rolled her eyes, and Harry smiled.

"Al?" He called back, opening the door into the hall. The door spewed through a clutch of people, Al – Harry's doppelganger, though admittedly with significantly less grey hair – and his new girlfriend…what was her name again? Lily was there too – Al had picked her up from the station – and Harry's eyes narrowed ever so slightly at the sight of her boyfriend-of-one-year-and-that-was-one-year-too-long, Jacques Zabini. At the sight of her father, Lily let go of Jacques' hand and threw her arms around her father.

"Daddy!" Harry smiled into his daughter's hair. "I have so much to tell you." Letting go of him, she turned her head back to where her brother was staggering under the weight of her trunk, and smirked. Jacques raised an eyebrow at her, and she nodded, the two of them continuing into the lounge.

Looking on at his son, Harry raised an eyebrow. Al dropped the trunk on the floor, where it landed on his toe. "Shit!" he hissed.

"Albus Severus!" Ginny's voice came through the door. "I heard that!"

Rolling his eyes, Al smiled at the girl next to him. "Marion, this is my dad. Dad, Marion. She works with the Quidditch department." Al was a reporter at the Daily Prophet, and, surprisingly, Harry had met more of his girlfriends than significant others of James and Lily put together. Who knew, maybe this one would last?

"Nice to meet you Marion." He smiled gently. The girl didn't look too shellshocked at meeting him – always a good thing – and she grinned back.

"You too Mr Potter." Harry motioned towards the lounge, and followed the two of them through.

When Ginny came back through from the kitchen, a plate of mince pies in one hand and gingerbread in the other, the tension in the room was sliceable. Her husband looked lost, sat on the middle sofa – Lily and Albus glared at each other from those on either side of him. Raising an eyebrow, Ginny coughed. Her husband looked up at her – she snorted slightly at the 'help' expression in his eyes – but her son and daughter continued to fight to the death glare.

"Gingerbread Jacques? Marion?" she offered round the plates. Marion reached out for a pie, but at a slight glance from Al she retreated. Lily, however didn't stop her boyfriend, who took two of each.

Sitting beside her husband, Ginny smiled at the similarities between her daughter and herself at a similar age. "How's the team doing Lil?"

Lily looked up, a grin on her face. "Perfect, as always. We had a new beater at the start of this term – some second year twit, but she's got a good arm on her. Slaughtered the Claws a couple of weeks ago, and we're set to do the same to the Slyths in a month." She turned to Jacques and kissed him on the cheek – Ginny felt, rather than saw, her husband's jaw clench – and continued. "No offence, J."

He turned to her, pressing his forehead against hers. "None taken. If I was still there, then maybe I'd disagree, but as I'm not…"

An awkward silence ensued as Ginny tried desperately not to roll her eyes at Harry and Al's matching glares.

Jacques looked as if there was a small, biting cockroach in his mouth, and Ginny frowned down at the plate of her mince pies. They weren't that bad, surely, were they? She picked up one and tried a bite.

Harry tried desperately not to laugh as his wife's face turned purple.

.o0O0o.

"I'm here! Christmas starts now!" James' yell reached Lily's room easily, and she sighed. She and Jacques were sitting on her bed, her head in his lap, and she so very much did not want to move.

"Lily?" Her mum's voice came up, and she sighed, sitting up. Jacques reached out for her hand, and pulled her to him, bringing her lips to his. Their hot breath mingled and she felt him smile against her lips.

He pulled away. "We should go downstairs. Your mum still likes me, at least, I'd like to keep it that way." Lily pouted, but agreed.

Lacing her fingers through his, she pulled Jacques through her bedroom door and downstairs.

James Sirius Potter (or The Best Chaser of the Montrose Magpies, as they said) was in the kitchen when his sister came downstairs. Grinning, Lily let go of Jacque and hugged her brother. James ruffled her hair and hugged her back.

"Lil." He smiled. Suddenly, he saw Jacques, and his eyes narrowed. "Who's this?"

Lily's face hardened. "This is Jacques." The air seemed to hum slightly, and Emily – Longbottom, James' girlfriend of five years – swore. James and Albus exchanged a look, and Lily's eyes narrowed even more.

"And what," James' jaw clenched, "is he doing here?"

"_He_ is my boyfriend." Lily snapped. "What's it to you?"

Emily started to shepherd Jacques out of the kitchen. "You don't really want to see this." She muttered. Al and Marion followed.

"You're seventeen Lily! Is he sleeping in the spare room?" James replied.

"Of course not! I'm _seventeen,_ not – "

"Seventeen! Not old enough to be fucking all night long or whatever the he – "

"Oh, I'm so fucking _sorry_, James, I forgot how you're such a bloody saint."

"That is beside the point!" James ran a hand through his hair. "You are too young for this, you're rushing into it – "

"Rushing – into – it! Are you fucking serious?" Lily hissed. "We've been together for a _year_ and _a half_."

"What?" James glared. "And you didn't tell me?"

"Oh yeah, because your reaction now is a _perfect_ example of why _exactly_ I blatantly should have told you."

"You're a liar." Lily gasped.

"I am NOT!" She pulled out her wand, and James did the same. They both opened their mouths when Harry walked in.

Pulling out his wand as well, the glare on his face would've probably made most other bickering siblings take a step back, or at least put their own wands away. Except Lily and James were Potters, arrogant and young. So they didn't. "What are you two doing?"

"He," Lily flicked her want a little at James, then sniggered when he jumped at the gold sparks that flew out towards him, "thinks I'm 'too young' to have a boyfriend. And he's a hypocrite, and basically said that I'm a slut."

"That is not what I said!" James argued.

"You implied it!"

"And? That's completely different!"

"No it isn't!"

"Shut UP!" Harry interrupted. He silently put up a shield between them. They both turned to him, wands still out.

All three looked to the door when Al walked in. He snorted. "Oh, so you two think you can take on the chosen one?"

"YES!" Lily and James shouted in unison. They turned back and glared at each other. Harry sighed.

"James, go through to the lounge." When James opened his mouth to argue, Harry glared. "_Now_."

Letting down the shield, Harry turned to his daughter, who shook her head. "Don't bother Daddy. I know you agree with him anyway." She followed her brother into the lounge, her dark red hair trailing behind her slightly.

Harry sighed again. "Fuck." He muttered.

.o0O0o.

Jacques and Lily were sat again on her bed, both in their pyjamas. Lily leant on his shoulder, his golden skin warming her cheek. She rubbed her hand across his chest, drawing circles and hearts and stars. Jacques suddenly spun over, so he was on top of her, leant down and kissed her, slowly. Lily made a soft noise of appreciation, grabbed his hair and pulled him closer to her. His dark eyes sparkled, and she opened her mouth, breathing in _him_. He stroked the top of her legs, under her pyjama shorts, and Lily smirked against his mouth. "I love you Jacques."

"I love you too, Lily-flower."

.o0O0o.

"That was fun."

Ginny raised an eyebrow at Harry, who was sitting on their bed frowning. "They'll be fine tomorrow." Harry shook his head.

"I just – how can they get on so well and so badly?" Ginny pursed her lips.

"They're too similar." She smirked slightly, jumping onto the bed beside him. Leaning in, she took his glasses off slowly and kissed him. "I can think of something to do that might cheer you up..."

* * *

**AN: Wow I'm not sure about this. It's just a little festive plot bunny - this is Christmas Eve, then there'll be two other chapters. I (really) hope you like! Will try and focus on a different child each day also.**

**Please review, I've never written next-gen before and it's scary.**


	2. Day

_**Disclaimer: Unfortunately I did not receive Jo's characters for Christmas. So they're still hers.**_

* * *

Al's room was at the very top of the mansion. He quite liked it there – it meant when his siblings were arguing he couldn't hear, it meant he had the nicest view out the window, and it meant he had a massive attic bedroom. However, this lack of noise did mean he usually ended up sleeping in…quite a bit.

So on the Christmas Morning of his 19th year, Al Potter wasn't all that surprised when he woke up and golden sunlight was streaking through his room already. However, this didn't mean he was particularly happy about it.

"Shit." He groaned, and ran a hand through his hair. He suddenly noticed how cold the bed was – Marion wasn't there. "Shit, shit, shit!" he muttered again. Grabbing his dressing gown and sticking his feet into his fluffy slippers, he raced down the three flights of stairs to the kitchen.

His girlfriend was, unfortunately, sitting between James and Ginny, with a rather amused – too amused – look on her face.

"James? Mum?" They both looked up at him, identical smirks on their faces. "Marion?"

"I was just showing your girlfriend pictures of you as a baby Al. Don't you think they're adorable?" Al's eyes widened. "Especially this one of you in the bath…"

"No!" Al yelled, and he leapt over and pulled the picture out of his brothers' hand. Turning it over, he looked…but realised it was just a napkin. A plain, white, paper napkin. His eyes narrowed, and his family cracked up.

"Morning babe." Marion smiled, and he leant over and kissed her on the lips.

"Al, there's waffles on the side." Al's face fell slightly. "They're shop-bought, don't worry." Ginny smiled. "I couldn't be bothered to cook this morning."

At that moment, Lily and Jacques walked into the kitchen, both with sticking up hair and … satisfied expressions. "Merry Christmas everyone!" Lily grinned.

James looked up, a frown on his face, but Al turned and 'silencio'd' him. "Don't bother James."

He resorted to glaring at his sister, who scowled stonily back. "Mum, you didn't make the waffles did you?"

"Nope." Lily heaved a sigh of relief and sat down at the table, piling waffles onto her plate.

James turned to Al, opening his mouth to reveal a mouthful of half-chewed waffle-and-syrup.

"James, that's disgusting." His brother put on a look of outrage, and pointed to his throat, then his mouth again.

"Oh, you want the charm taken off?" James rolled his eyes and nodded.

"Nah."

.o0O0o.

"We are leaving for the Burrow in five minutes and if you, Lily Luna Potter, are not ready then I will take you there naked if necessary!" Al rolled his eyes at his mother, who was honestly losing her touch if she thought Lily would be ready yet.

"I'm _coming!_" Lily's voice yelled back from above them. "Stop _bugging_ me!"

"Oh, I'll be bugging you in a minute." Ginny muttered.

It only took a few minutes for Lily to emerge, her hair still damp and a frown on her face. "Let's go then. Floo or car?"

"Floo. I'm not trusting your father to drive home again." Ginny raised an eyebrow at Harry.

"I was tired!" Harry protested, his arms up in a surrender. "You could have driven." All three Potter kids snorted at this.

"The Burrow!"

.o0O0o.

Every year at the Weasley Christmas Celebration, three things happened. At least one 'adult' – although technically, all of them except Teddy and 'Toire's baby daughter were adults now – got drunk and cried. Every single attendee received a handknitted jumper from Grandma Molly. And every year, without fail, ever since Al was little, one massive argument happened.

This year, Lily and James seemed to be going for that title.

"Prat." She hissed as she put on her Weasley jumper – gold with a purple lily, by the way.

"Bitch." He muttered as Ginny and Angelina cooed over Isabelle.

"Fred, would you please ask the arrogant dick next to you to pass the carrots?"

"Al, could you possibly drop this mash on our darling sister's hair?"

And it seemed, for now, like they'd won – Dom and Vic were too busy smiling over the baby to fight, and all the females had obviously decided to just avoid Molly's territory this year.

Al realised that he'd lost Marion again, but thankfully when he found her she was with Rose and Scorp – possibly the best place she could have been, under the circumstances.

"Hi Babe. Sorry, I got caught up talking to Teddy about…" She kissed him softly.

"Don't worry. I like your family, you don't need to protect me from them."

Scorpius had snorted at that, then stopped at a glare from Rose.

"Merry Christmas Al." Rose grinned. Albus smiled back.

"It's great to see you Rosie. How's the job?" Rose rolled her eyes.

"Wonderful. As always." He grinned.

"The wedding planning?" At this, Rose looked much more excited.

"Oh, I've been telling Marion all about it, we've looked at some bridesmaid dresses…that reminds me, where's Lily? I need to talk to her about a fitting. But anyway, and flowers…Draco's offered the manor, but…" Scorp and Rose both wrinkled their noses.

"If you want to talk to Lil, make sure James isn't in the immediate vicinity."

Rose raised an eyebrow at this.

"She brought a boy home."

"Ah."

.o0O0o.

After the usual three-hour food-fest, the family spilt into the garden for a round of Quidditch before everyone went home (mostly to see the other halves of their respective families).

"I call Daddy's team!" Lily shouted. "And Uncle George!"

Al sat down on a log. A few minutes later, Marion joined him, fastening her fingers through his.

"It's weird." She said, a few minutes later. Al looked at her, a questioning look on his face. "Weird, I mean, how similar you are to your dad."

He snorted in response, looking up at his father. Al was the only one of the five Potters who wasn't amazing at Quidditch – James and his Mum had both been professional Chasers, and Lily had inherited her father's eye for the snitch – but he liked watching it still, especially when his family were playing. Harry and Lily were, at that moment, chasing each other on their identical Serem 20 brooms, and Al wasn't even sure if they'd seen the snitch. They both stopped, and laughed together.

"I'm not. Lily's his."

Marion laughed. "Lily might be his, but she's not like him." When Al didn't respond, she persevered, turning his face to face her. "Al, you are like him. You're sarcastic, you're selfless, you're sacrificing, and you're – although admittedly, I don't feel this way about your dad – perfect."

Al leant into her, pressing his forehead against hers. He opened his mouth to respond, but she put a finger to his lips.

"You might not be the chosen one…but I'd choose you."

When they kissed, she tasted like cranberry and her lips were cold.

And it began to snow.

.o0O0o.

The Potters and the Weasley-Grangers sat in the formers' lounge. Hugo was leaning on Rose, whom along with Scorpius leant against Al's legs, who had Marion's head on his lap, who was next to Lily sitting on Jacques. James and Emily were on the sofa opposite, and for possibly the first time all day he wasn't glaring at his younger sister. The fire was roaring, and each of them had a mug of mulled wine, the spicy scent filling the room.

Rose sighed over her steaming cup. "I've missed this."

Al turned to her, an incredulous look on his face. "Really?"

"Yeah." Rose grinned. "Nothing like a Potter-family feud and an overstuffed stomach to make me feel like I'm at home again."

James snorted.

Lily snorted.

Al snorted.

"Al wins." Emily said. "Best snort right there, easily."

Leaning back into the sofa, Al grinned, closing his eyes. "They're not hard to beat."

"Oi!" Lily frowned.

"Shut it Al." James snapped.

"Why don't you shut it?" Lily hissed.

"_Silencio._" Hugo murmured. Both of them stopped making any noise at all.

"Merry Christmas." Al smirked.

.o0O0o.

Hermione smiled over her cup of tea. "How long do you think it'll be before they kill each other?" Ron chuckled, and leant over to her, rubbing her knee.

"Well, they've had about twenty years and haven't done it yet. We're probably safe." Ginny grinned.

"It's all genetic. Their parents were trouble." Ron replied.

Harry sighed. "True." Ginny came over to him and leant against him, her hair tickling his nose.

"Merry Christmas."

* * *

**AN: Wow. I still can't write trio. Urgh.**

**Also sorry it wasn't up before Christmas, stuff...stuff. Christmas&Family mostly. I hope you enjoy!**


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